I just got one of those chain emails from a friend of mine that asked me to describe her in one word and pass it along to other friends. When I have time, I kind of like those little games.

So I played along and actually learned a lot about what my friends really think of me. They all said I was energetic and it made my day because I was feeling totally sluggish. Anyway, the email game reminded me of the Johari’s window game. Johari’s window is a four paned “window” divided into four quadrants: known, facade, unknown, and blind spot. The lines dividing the four panes are like shades, which can move in either direction.

 

The known box are the roles you play, ‘mother’, ‘ military wife’, or ‘career woman’. The facade box is how some others may view you ‘sensitive’, ‘passionate’ etc. and may include situations where you are misunderstood. The unknown quadrant represents things you aren’t ready to self-disclose, and the blind spot are things others notice about you, but you are clueless.

So here’s the game… Look at the list of adjectives below and pick 5 that describe you and then ask your friends pick 5 that describe you in their view, and then map them out onto Johari’s window and see if you develop any new clues about yourself?

Able

Accepting

Adaptable

Bold

Brave

Calm

Caring

Cheerful

Clever

Complex

Confident

Dependable

Dignified

Energetic

Extroverted

Friendly

Giving

Happy

Helpful

Idealistic

Independent

Ingenious

Intelligent

Introverted

Kind

Knowledgeable

Logical

Loving

Mature

Modest

Observant

Organized

Patient

Powerful

Proud

Quiet

Reflective

Relaxed

Religious

Responsive

Searching

Self-assertive

Self-conscious

Sensible

Sentimental

Shy

Silly

Spontaneous

Sympathetic

Tense

Trustworthy

Warm

Wise

Witty

It’s fun to see what our friends really think of us, ha ha

Krista